State Senator Josh McKoon of Columbus took to the well on Monday to address the comments made by Rep. Tommie Benton about Senator Vincent Fort’s sponsorship of a bill that would have stopped the state from celebrating Confederate holidays. In a statement to the AJC, Benton compared Fort’s bill to ISIS, and praised the work
The Senate Rules Committee held a hearing on the First Amendment Defense Act this morning, although they took no action on the measure. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Greg Kirk, has been criticized by some for being unconstitutional, or worse. The short hearing consisted of one witness in addition to Sen. Kirk. Cathy Woolard, a
The American Conservative Union is out with its annual ranking of the Georgia legislature for the 2015 session. The organization looked at 14 Senate votes and ten House votes, giving points to legislators who voted the way the ACU prefers. A vote for HB 170, the Transportation Funding Act, whether in the House or in
Back last August, we told you about the results of a straw poll among the leaders of the Georgia Association of College Republicans. Marco Rubio got the most votes, followed by Jeb Bush and Scott Walker, With Rand Paul, Chris Christie. and Carly Fiorina, and George Pataki bringing up the rear. The College Republicans leadership
On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office released its budget and economic outlook for the years 2016 to 2026. In the report, the CBO projects that the current budget deficit will increase for the first time since 2009 to $544 billion, increasing the national debt to 76% of gross domestic product, or around $30 trillion. Based
Up for a first reading in the Senate this morning was Senate Resolution 842, sponsored by Majority Caucus Chair William Ligon of Brunswick, President Pro Tem David Shafer of Duluth, Majority Leader Bill Cowsert of Athens and others. The purpose of the resolution is to create a Senate Study Committee on the Legislative Process. A
Georgia can expect a 3.3% increase in gross domestic product and a 5.7% rise in personal income in 2016, according to UGA’s Terry College of Business Dean Benjamin C. Ayers and Selig Center for Economic Growth director Jeff Humphreys. The pair spoke at a Wednesday event in Athens, as reported by the Athens Banner-Herald. The
As Charlie reported yesterday, craft brewers, beer distributors, and the Department of Revenue were able to come to an agreement that allows the brewers to offer tours at varying prices to accommodate the type of beer that will be provided at the end of the tour. While that was the intent of the final version
In the House hopper and awaiting its first reading is HB 837, the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, sponsored by Ed Setzler of Acworth, Barry Fleming of Harlem, Sam Teasley of Marietta, and Matt Ramsey of Peachtree City. You may notice that there are no references in the bill to the least restrictive method of enforcing
The class action lawsuit filed against the Secretary of State’s office has been dismissed because the plaintiffs in the case say their goal of having the office disclose the distribution of personal information on Georgia’s over six million registered voters. Kristina Torres of the AJC quotes the plaintiff’s attorney as saying, From our perspective, the
